


Three Further Codas

by yunitsa



Category: Wicked Years Series - Gregory Maguire
Genre: Fix-It, Multi, Post-Book(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-08
Updated: 2011-12-08
Packaged: 2017-10-27 02:15:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/290547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yunitsa/pseuds/yunitsa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Highly spoilery for Out of Oz.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Three Further Codas

1.

The _Letter on Popular Governance_ went through ten editions that year, sold on every street-corner and read in every coffee shop in the Emerald City. Speculation continued over which Palace functionary might have first allowed the text to be leaked to the press, with some going so far as to suggest the leonine Throne Minister himself. Steadier heads, however, called this errant nonsense.

The first act of Ozma Tippetarius upon gaining her majority was to sign a bill calling for the creation of a Parliament, to be elected by every constituency in Oz.

2.

Rain had snuck a glance at herself in the boarding-house mirror before setting out today. She knew she had changed – not just got older but more weathered, the green of her skin deepening into brown. She wore practical boys’ clothes, trousers tucked into worn suede boots, her hair braided over one shoulder.

The young woman facing her floated in layers of diaphanous silk, like one of Lady Glinda’s rumored bubbles. Her hairnet and tiara were studded with patriotic emeralds, which did not match the incongruous red pendant at her throat. She was biting her lower lip.

“This is all just ceremonial, you know,” the queen said, tugging at the tiara, though it was pinned too firmly to dislodge. “Opening hospitals and so on. I don’t have any real power anymore. They’re not even insisting I have children to carry on the line, and a good thing too, given some of what I’ve seen in those hospitals.”

Rain had thought she’d know what to say when this moment came, but no suitable speeches presented themselves. She had long ago stopped waiting for Tip to call for her, but flying in the other direction seemed to have brought her all the way back round again. She stretched out one callused green hand. The queen took it. They stood like that, gazing at each other in cautious hope.

“Ozma,” Rain began.

“Tip, please.” Her voice was a low, husky alto, not that different from what it had once been; her eyes still the same startling winter blue.

“Tip, then.” Rain took her other hand, drew her closer, found the words coming at last. “Tip, you’ll never believe where I’ve been.”

3.

When the spring came with its hazy sunshine, Liir took the trays of seedlings from the windowsills to plant out in the garden. The air at Nether How was balmy and moist with promise, just a hint of breeze to cool him at his work.

The tree of brooms was sprouting, putting out new green shoots for the coming year. Sometimes Liir thought of harvesting one, of flying away as his daughter had done, but he had grown too old for that recourse. Like the broom, he had put down roots.

The damp earth was soft under his fingers as he set the seedlings into the ground. _What do you plant to grow a farm? A family._ But he was on his own now, and his needs were few. He wasn’t unhappy. He was only himself.

Close to lunchtime, Liir looked up to see a man walking over the field toward him – a strongly-built man with sandy hair, carrying a rucksack on his back and a tattered pamphlet in his hand. Patient as an Elephant, Liir waited for him to cross the field and fetch up beside him.

Head bowed toward the fertile earth, Liir said, “I’ve been trying to atone, I suppose. It turns out I’m not very good at it. Surprise, surprise.”

Without speaking, Trism crouched down beside him and reached out a hand to help. They planted the rest of the row together.


End file.
